Author: Hunanian Jack

PRESIDENT OF CHESS FEDERATION OF ARMENIA FORECASTS FURTHER VICTORIES BY ARMENIAN CHESS-PLAYERS

Yerevan, February 5. ArmInfo. Armenian Defense Minister, President
of the Chess Federation of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan forecasts further
victories by Armenian chess-players.

In an interview to Armenia TV Sargsyan noted that Armenia is one of
the few countries to have won the Chess Olympic Games but this is just
the beginning of big work. In Jan alone Armenia had three victories:
the best one was Levon Aronyan’s victory in Wijk aan Zee.

Now Armenian chess-players are getting ready for European team cup in
the autumn 2007, while in May Aronyan will start battling for world
championship. "Lets wish him success," Sargsyan said.

USA AND INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY: ASSASSINATION OF ARMENIAN JOURNALIST
HRANT DINK STRIKES A BLOW AGAINST FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION

Yerevan, January 31. ArmInfo. The USA and the whole international
community are indignant at the assassination of Hrant Dink, an
Armenian journalist and Turkish citizen, which struck a blow against
the freedom of expression.

The web site of the US Department of State reports that in condemning
Hrant Dink’s January 19 murder in Istanbul, Julie Finley, the
U.S. ambassador to the OSCE noted that the assassination of an
independent-minded journalist like Dink is "an assault that is felt by
all." Finley said the United States welcomed Turkey’s "quick and
proper reaction" and promise to solve the murder case as quickly as
possible. She added that Turkish President Ahmet Necdet Sezer was
right in characterizing the murder as a "repugnant and shameful
attack" that "deeply wounded" Turkey. The ambassador to the OSCE said
that Sezer’s wish that Turkey "never experience such a sorrowful event
again" is the United States’ wish as well, and added that the United
States applauded the "new gestures of openness" between Turkish and
Armenian authorities in response to the assassination. In his turn,
U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs
Daniel Fried, who participated in the memorial service in Washington
for Hrant Dink, noted that the journalist "stood for a civic virtue
higher than hatred, higher than ethnic stereotypes, higher than fears
and repression and ignorance". "His was a vision of a better
world. His was a vision of the best in Turkey’s tradition. The measure
of how our world falls short must be judged by his murder at the hands
of an ignorant, hate-filled nationalist," D.Fried noted.

Turkish Daily News, Turkey
Feb 1 2007

Wilson: US to oppose `genocide’ resolution
Thursday, February 1, 2007

U.S. Ambassador to Turkey Ross Wilson said yesterday that the U.S.
administration would actively oppose the draft "genocide" resolution
introduced Tuesday by Democratic and Republican lawmakers in the
House of Representatives.

`Yesterday a resolution dealing with the tragic events that took
place at the end of the Ottoman Empire was introduced into the U.S.
Congress. The Bush administration’s position on this issue has not
changed. As I have said before, the administration will be actively
involved with the Congress to oppose this resolution,’ Wilson said in
a written statement released yesterday.

When Foreign Minister Abdullah Gül visits the U.S. capital next
week, the genocide issue will be at the top of their agenda in talks
with their counterparts.

In a related development, a group of Turkish lawmakers are planning
to head to the United States in February to meet with contacts both
in the House of Representatives and Senate, a move to lobby against
an Armenian `genocide’ resolution likely to pass in the U.S.
Congress. But the Turkish Parliament speaker has not yet given the
go-ahead.

The list of lawmakers and appointments with regard to contacts in
the United States has not yet been made clear.

`This was a previously planned initiative to explain the Turkish
theses over Ankara’s European Union process and an alleged Armenian
genocide, but nothing is clear as of today,’ ruling Justice and
Development Party (AKP) deputy Süleyman Gündüz, member of
Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Commission, told the Turkish Daily News.

BIG INTERNATIONAL JEWELRY EXHIBITION TO BE HELD IN YEREVAN IN OCTOBER
2007

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 1, NOYAN TAPAN. A big international jewelry
exhibition will be held in Yerevan in mid October 2007. The Armenian
Jewelers Association (AJA) is the event’s organizer. Gagik Mkrtchian,
Head of the Gem and Jewelry Department of the RA Ministry of Trade and
Economic Development, stated this.

According to him, AJA has developed the program on preparation and
holding of the exhibition, which was discussed by the AJA Board during
the annual international exhibition in the Italian city of Vicenza on
January 12-14, 2007.

G. Mkrtchain attached importance to AJA’s work done among Vicenza
exhibition organizers, thanks to which the latter agreed to assist
with the organization of the Yerevan exhibition.

It was mentioned that AJA will send invitations to all countries
considered as a gem and jewelry making center, asking them to
participate in the exhibition. "We must rule out any tax or customs
red tape when receiving the exhibition participants in order to make
this event a traditional one," G. Mkrtchian underlined.

France and Azerbaijan adopt a joint statement

ArmRadio.am
01.02.2007 14:55

A joint statement was adopted in the result of Azerbaijani President
Ilham Aliyev’s state visit to France. In the document the two
countries underlined ` the positive development of bilateral relations
in all fields and upholding of broad and active political dialogue on
all levels.

The two countries appreciated `the breakthrough in bringing closer the
positions of the parties on fundamental principles of conflict
settlement’ during the talks held under the aegis of the OSCE Minsk
Group Co-Chairs.’ They emphasized the importance of further activation
of efforts directed at the peaceful, fair and rapid resolution of the
conflict.’ The French President expressed appreciation for the support
of governments and leaders of G8 countries to the OSCE Minsk Group
efforts.

TIGRAN TOROSIAN: ARMENIAN DELEGATION TO PACE WORKS VERY ACTIVELY

YEREVAN, JANUARY 30, NOYAN TAPAN. The plenary session of the
Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe held on January 22-26
in Strasbourg was, probably, the last for the Armenian delegation of
the National Assembly of the present convention. As Tigran Torosian,
the Armenian delegation head, NA Speaker stated at the January 29
press conference, most probably, the Armenian parliamentarians will
not take part in the next PACE session to take place in late
April. The reason is the RA NA elections to follow the session in few
days. In the NA Speaker’s words, "this is an understandable reasoning
for everybody, however, in Strasbourg."

Arising from the above-mentioned, T.Torosian considered purposeful to
sum up not only results of the session finished recently, but also the
3.5 year work of the delegation headed by him at the Assembly. In his
words, since 2001 the Assembly has adopted 5 resolutions concerning
the process of implementation of the obligations undertaken by
Armenia. The last one, resolution No1532 adopted on January 23 was an
unprecedented one for Armenia with its positive stresses compared with
the ones adopted before. "It does not mean that Armenia has no faults
and Armenia implemented all of its obligations. Just the opposite,
this resolution, fixing progress connected with fulfilling the
obligations, fixing a number of concretely successed steps, also fixes
a number of problems that Armenia must solve in future, at the same
time it fixes faults as well," the speaker said. In his words, the
faults, particularly, relate to the corruption, existing protests
connected with legal bodies’ attitude as well as to the Parliament’s
refusal of the draft on making amendments to the law on television and
radio. The Assembly also sees some deeds in the direction of
liquidating the faults existing in the law on alternative service.

Summing up the Armenian delegation’s work at the Assembly, T.Torosian
expressed an opinion that the delegation, but not all of its members,
worked very actively. The result is both adopted resolutions and
positions they got at the Assembly committees. He especially reminded
that when the delegation started its work, it inherited resolution
No1304, where it was said that if some steps were not taken,
commissions of the Armenian delegation would stop. "The life showed
that not only it did not happen in future, but, I think, important
documents, resolutions were adopted for Armenia," T.Torosian said. In
his words, it relates both to implementation of the obligations and to
problem of refugees in the region as well as to Nagorno Karabakh
problem, "and even connected with the April, 2004, events we managed
to secure by a good work, in a very strained situation, adoption of a
resoltuion which had vital importance in future for weakening the
tension in Armenia."

Prime Minister Andranik Margaryan’s message on Army Day

ArmRadio.am
27.01.2007 11:49

RA Prime Minister Andranik Margaryan issued a message on the occasion
of the 15th anniversary of formation of the Armenian Army. The message
says,

`Dear compatriots, commanders and soldiers of the Armenian Army,

I congratulate all of you on the most significant holidays of our
people and independent statehood ` the 15th anniversary of formation
of the Armenian Army.

The Armenian Army that was born one and half decades ago together with
the independence of Armenia is one of the greatest achievements of our
independence. On the first days of its formation it overcame the trial
of the Artsakhi war. One of the glorious pages of the Artsakhi war was
the liberation of Shushi, the 15th anniversary of which we shall
celebrate this year as a brilliant evidence of the power and
combativitû of the Armenian Army.

During the subsequent years in a short period of time the National
Army passed a long way. Today we can proudly state that the Armenian
Armed Forces have not only become a reliable guarantee of security and
defense of Armenia and Artsakh and our independence. They also
effectively participate in international peacekeeping processes,
accumulating necessary experience for countering the challenges of the
contemporary world.

Continuing the efforts for the further development of our country,
creation of a competitive economy and reinforcement of statehood, we
clearly realize that it is also one of the important preconditions for
army building and reforms in the Armed Forces.

On this significant holiday I congratulate the officers and commanders
of the Armenian Army, the soldiers, the whole nation. I wish
long-lasting peace, strength of spirit and national unity, high
combativit ûof the National Army for the sake of secure future
of out state and people.

The Messenger, Georgia
Jan 26 2007

Khadjimba says no ethnic tensions in run up to separatist elections
By Ekaterina Basilaia

The vice-president of breakaway Abkhazia, Raul Khadjimba, has
rebuffed speculation from Georgian expert Mamuka Areshidze that there
might be ethnic tensions between the Armenian and Abkhaz communities
in breakaway Abkhazia in the run up to the forthcoming de facto
parliamentary elections, Apsnypress reported on January 24.

"The confrontations between Abkhazians and Armenians, desirable and
provoked by outside forces, will not occur," Khadjimba argued in his
interview with Apsnyrpress.

"This has been specially concocted to deteriorate the situation in
Abkhazia on the eve of the upcoming elections," Khadjimba maintained.

In an interview posted by Georgian newspaper Svobodnaya Gruzia
Areshidze stated that "soon the Armenian community, which makes up
the greatest part of the population of Abkhazia, might become a
headache for the Abkhaz authorities, as far as they are trying to
strengthen their position in the region."

According to Areshidze, local Armenians who are twice as numerous as
ethnic Abkhaz, control substantial economic levers in the region,
thanks to the positive attitude of de facto Abkhaz president Sergei
Bagapsh towards them.

There is a long-drawn rivalry between Bagapsh and Kajimba, who
currently share power in the breakaway region.

According to speculations in Georgian media, the reason for Khadjimba
defeat in 2004 ‘presidential elections’ in the breakaway region was
his "obvious aversion" towards local Armenians. "Consequently,
Armenians, dissatisfied with Khadjimba, supported Sergei Bagapsh in
the presidential race," Georgian media reported.

Areshidze says another factor increasing tension between Armenians
and the Abkhaz population has to do with "the Armenian community’s
desire to increase its current informal quota in parliament from
three seats in the 35-member Parliament to five in the upcoming
elections."

The main political movements competing in the elections slated for
March 4 will be United Abkhazia, Aitara (Revival) and Amtsakhara
(Signal Light), which are supportive of current de facto president
Bagapsh. They will run against candidates from the "Forum for
National Unity," an opposition movement where followers of
vice-president Khadjimba are united. The Abkhaz Communist Party,
which is teaming up with the Russian Communist Party, will also take
part in parliamentary elections.

Currently Armenians make up the largest minority group in Abkhazia.

Shoushi’s new coat of arms approved

PanARMENIAN.Net
25.01.2007 15:24 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Henceforth the guardian angel of ‘Sourp Amenaprkich
Kazanchetsost’ Church will be the symbol of ancient Armenian town of
Shushi. The guardian angel will be impressed on the coat of arms of
Shoushi. This is the outcome of the contest, which was held by "Shoushi
Revival", Fund and the City Council, The PanARMENIAN.Net journalist
was told in "Shoushi Revival", Fund non-governmental organization.

The author of the new coat of arms, which was approved by the
Shoushi town elders, is Rouben Arutchyan, an artist from Yerevan
by descent from a famous Shoushi family. In the artist’s words, he
feels responsible both in front of Shoushi and his ancestors. Rouben
Arutchyan passed the premium of the contest to the "Shoushi revival"
Fund as his own contribution to the realization of programs to
reconstruct the town.

HAKOBYAN’S SECOND VICTORY

A1+
[12:12 pm] 26 January, 2007

In the third round of the Gibraltar chess tournament Armenian Grand
Master Vladimir Hakobyan beat Pierre Fogel. This is Hakobyan’s second
victory in the tournament. At present he is in the middle of the list
with 2 points.

In the fourth round Hakobyan will play with Din Ipolito who has 2
points too.